Afternoons with Paito

Each afternoon after Masana, one of the boys, Paito, sticks around to wash our cars and complete whatever other odd jobs we have for him. He is also quite the entertainer. He loves music and dancing. So for him, washing one of our cars with the stereo blasted is the perfect way to pass the afternoon. And I love peaking out the window and seeing the joy on his face as he listens to his favorite music and dances. The video below is Paito and Lauren, one of my housemates. Lauren has just explained to Paito what ballet is.

Paito is quite unique when it comes to street kids. He keeps to himself on the street rather than sleeping with other kids. He loves his life on the streets where he can wake up, walk around, do what he wants, go to sleep. . . only to wake up and do it all over again the next day. Complete freedom. We've been talking to him a lot about his future and what dreams he has for his life.

Please pray for Paito. He does not have a relationship with his father and we really want to see that restored. Our hope for him is that he'll begin visiting his family on the weekends and start working towards restoring his family.

Luis: Revisted

A month ago, we took Luis back home. Today we did a follow-up visit. It was beautiful.

We arrived to a table set for a feast. Luis' grandparents were there to express their deep gratitude for our help in bringing their grandson back home. His grandmother shed tears of joy as she tried to express how much joy she felt that day, a month ago, when we first showed up at the family's house with Luis. Then she asked to pray for us. Her prayer was in Shanghan, the local language, so I did not understand her words but I felt the Holy Spirit. I knew that, once again, God had used us to restore a family. It was obvious that, with the return of Luis, this family was filled with new hope for life.

We discussed with the family what small business they had decided to try. They asked if instead, we would be willing to use the business money to build a house for Luis next to his mom's house. We asked them to do some research on the cost involved in this and we'll let them know if Masana has the finances to do it or not.

We had brought a suitcase full of new clothes, a couple of blankets, a sleeping mat, and a few other items Luis will need as he resettles with his family. Again, tears were shed as Luis opened the suitcase and showed his family all that was inside. One by one, his family members came to hug us and thank us again for all that we have done for their family.

Then we were served a feast. The women in the family had worked so hard to prepare these beautiful plates - prawns, chicken, salad, rice, and potatoes. It was literally some of the best food I've had in Mozambique. And how perfect to enjoy this meal sitting under a large tree in a village with a family so full of joy.

As we left, the entire family accompanied us to the end of the road. Then we said our goodbyes and continued on to the bus stop with just Luis and his mother. Luis' mom asked to speak to my coworker alone. Lauren and I walked on ahead with Luis chatting with him about life in his community and how he passed his time.

As we boarded the ferry boat to cross the Maputo Bay back to the city, my coworker told us that Luis' mom was HIV+. She had just found out and has not told her son or other family yet. That is why she wants us to build a house for her son....so that he has a place of his own once she is gone.

Watching the island disappear as the boat crossed the bay, tears filled my eyes. Such a mixture of emotions filled my heart as I thought of this joyful family so full of hope. And this mother carrying a secret....to afraid to tell her family for fear of crushing that hope.

Juma

Oh sweet Juma . . . such a heartbreaking story to tell.

Juma has been living on the streets for a couple of years. He is 12 years old now. His mom lives in South Africa most of the year and returns to Mozambique for only a few months. She has a husband in South Africa. I remember in 2009 when Juma heard from a family member that his mom would be in Mozambique. He saved all of the money he earned begging so that he could buy nice new clothes and then he went to visit her. A couple of weeks later he returned to the streets so happy that he had seen him mom.

Juma wants nothing more in the world than to live with his mom.

But she just doesn't want to take responsibility for Juma.

I don't get it.

And it breaks my heart.

Juma's mom was recently here in Mozambique again and we went to meet her. We spoke to her about her son and the responsibility she has in taking care of him. When I asked her why she doesn't take Juma to South Africa with her, she simply laughed and said, "what will I do with him there?"

Seeing that his mom was not willing to take care of Juma, we asked her to help us find a family member that he could live with. She agreed to help but never followed through. We finally just showed up at her house again with Juma. During this visit, she agreed that Juma could come back and live with her until she returned to South Africa at which point he would go live with his grandfather.

Juma was so happy as we left that day! He chose the following Thursday, exactly one week later, as his day to return.

Again, Juma spent the whole week saving his begging money to buy new clothes. Thursday arrived and Juma bid farewell to all of his friends at Masana. We drove to his mom's house and arrived to discover that she had left a few days earlier and returned to South Africa.

Juma was crushed. He held it together as we walked back to my car and then the tears began to flow as he faced the truth that his mom had left because she didn't want him.

No child should ever have to face that truth.

2 More Boys Back With Their Families

We recently helped 2 boys leave the streets and Maputo and return to their families!!! Here are their stories:

Thomas

Thomas has been living on the streets on and off again since he was 10 years old. He is now 17. For 10 years he would leave home for no real reason, live on the streets for a few months, and then return home when he was ready to. Thomas has a great father who is a pastor. His father just does not understand why Thomas chooses to live on the streets when he has a family that loves him and provides for him.

In the past, other centers have helped Thomas return to his family. Why do I think us helping him this time will be any different? Thomas' father had a great and encouraging answer to that question. He said that there is something different about Masana and the way we have gone about reintegrating Thomas with his family. We are the first project that has invested time in talking with them as a family and getting to the root of what drives Thomas to the streets. We are the first project that has provided a bit of counseling for Thomas as he makes this transition back home. And we will continue doing all of this for at least a year.

Fred

Fred has one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on the streets of Maputo. He just shines! He has a slight tendency to tell tall-tales but he is a good kid. He doesn't get into much trouble. He doesn't steal. He is one of the boys that hung around the house with us more often...one of the boys that we were able to connect with on a more personal level. And now he is home with his family.

Fred is 15 years old. Both of his parents have passed away. He is now living with his brother and his brother's wife in a community not far from the city.

I find this happens often: God will highlight a certain boy and give me and my housemates a special bond with him. He'll be one of the boys that we trust a little bit more than the others. He'll be one that opens up to us and shares about his life on and off the streets. And these are usually the boys we see making the decision to return home. And that is what our being here is all about.

Reintegration: Luis

Today we took Luis back to his family. He had been on the streets of Maputo for a few months. He is one of the sweetest most respectful boys at Masana. I never heard anyone say anything bad about him or things he had done. His family is in a rural area near Maputo. We took a ferry across the bay and then a chapa (local mini bus) to his house. We walked the last 15 minutes to his house. All along the way, neighbors would call out, "Luis" as we passed by. They were all so excited to see him back!!!

Luis had left home a few months ago after getting into some trouble with some of his neighbors. He and some friends had stolen a chicken from a neighbor and eaten it. For whatever reason, Luis decided to run away rather than be punished. We had a good talk with him about being careful about the friends he chose to spend his time with.

We'll return to visit Luis in a few weeks. At that time, we'll take him clothes, blankets, and a few other basic necessities. We'll also help him start up a small business. He and his mom are talking about the possibility of starting a chicken business where they raise chickens both for eggs and to sale. I am really excited about this possibility as it is a business that can keep its self running as long as the chicken's are taken care of. We're going to do some investigating on the start up cost of this. If its not way out of our normal budget I think it could be a great one to try out! And Luis can replace the chicken he stole from his neighbor!!!

Please be praying for Luis in these next few days as he readjusts to life at home. Pray that he may be overwhelmed by the love of his family and neighbors. Pray also that he will find a church near his house that he can get connected to.

Another son is back home tonight!!!

Corey and Paito

From time to time, we get some visitors at the Kunhymela House. Some come for a couple of nights and some stay for a couple of months. Since late July, we've had Corey, a university student from Oregon, staying with us. He is really gifted in carpentry and has completed a few projects for us around the house including some more beds. One of the street boys, Paito, has become Corey's assistant. Its such a blessing when a visitor is able to teach the boys something valuable like carpentry.

Thanks Corey for taking time to teach Paito....you may think of him as just someone to assist you with your projects but the time that you are investing in him is helping him to see the value he has in God's eyes. And that's our purpose in being here in Mozambique with these precious boys.

Fabiao: Revisited

A few weeks ago, we did our first follow up visit with Fabiao. If you haven't read about his reintegration yet, you should check out that post. It was the most joyful reintegration yet!!!

He is doing really well at home. His family wanted to treat us to a meal as a thank you for all that we did to help their son. We had told them what time we'd be arriving, in hopes that they would have the meal prepared already. But of course that didn't happen. His mom insisted that they had to catch the chicken and kill it while we were there so that we knew they were serving us fresh food and not leftovers! Here is Fabiao and Nelson, another Masana boy, with the chicken:

While the women prepared the meal, Fabiao was able to try on all of the clothes we had brought him. He insisted that I take a picture of him in every outfit. I had prepared a notebook for him to continue learning to read and write so I was able to go through it with him and his older sister so that she could help him. Fabiao also blessed me with a gift...a mat that he had made for me. Here is Fabiao in one of his new outfits:

Finally the food was done and we were served. This is always a bit awkward for me because custom here in Mozambique is that guests are served and everyone else watches us eat. After the meal, we all gathered in their house so that the rest of the family could see the clothes, blankets, and other things we had brought for Fabiao. Fabiao's mom was so excited that she stood up and started dancing and singing. She is seriously one of the most joyful women I have met in Mozambique!!! Here is Fabiao with his family (the mat they are sitting on is the one Fabiao made for me!):

After a great time celebrating with this family, we made the 3 hour drive back to Maputo. We will be back in Xai Xai, where Fabiao lives in a couple of weeks which means we'll get to visit again! It is always a blessing being a part of seeing families restored!